He doesn’t know who’s the true boss. That would be the Chicken Farmer in our family, and, yes, I still love her. She really does tend to some gorgeous chickens and their colorful eggs.
Tag: Happy
Sidewalk bursts
Just a block from our house. We do love walking strolling around the island.
Highest with lows
What was the best year of your life and how did it look?
Pondering the possibilities for my most perfect year, I see how much even the best was tainted.
’72, I had the high of the ashram but it involved going through a lot of psychological muck and growth to get there. See Yoga Bootcamp for the parallels.
’73 was the whirlwind with my future wife, but I was laboring at subsistence pay, at best. See Nearly Canaan for the parallels.
’83 encompassed both my divorce and an exhilarating engagement with the young cellist who promised to be The One. It was also crushed in long workdays as a shirtsleeves manager in a newsroom, no matter how engaging I found the challenge professionally.
’86, I was deeply ensconced in a self-awarded sabbatical, but generally loveless. The core of my fiction was drafted in this period, and my circle of friends included Mennonites and my introduction to part-singing.
’99, the excitement of the ultimate woman in my life, as well as our frustrations in trying to find a home we could afford along with some emotional upheavals at the office.
2021, my exile to Eastport in what became a heavenly writer’s retreat, resulting in the publication of Quaking Dover the next year. It did mean being apart from my family and friends back in Dover for much of the time, but included exploring the fantastic outdoors of the waters and woodlands around me as well as the artistic stimulation of my new community.
So here I am now, with what’s turning into the home of my dreams in the sunset of this life.
Happy lettuce heading up
Sometimes our vegetable beds look nearly perfect.
Kinisi 259
in the laugh
of luxury
Feet on the wall
This was an accidental shot in the Vietnamese restaurant in Bangor, Maine, and no, my feet were actually on the floor. But somehow this does look like a rice-paper wall in a classic Japanese home. I’d definitely enjoy dining there, too, maybe even with my feet up.
One more well-fed Buddha
As glimpsed at the mostly takeout Vietnamese restaurant in Bangor, Maine, the token offerings to Buddha and his buddies are a reassuring nod in many Asian food retailers.
Jesus and all the saints, on the other hand, are typically left in fasting mode, East or West.
Wrapping up
Crew in Mary Day rigging
There’s even a Summer of Love
The places I lived in the settings covered in my novel Pit-a-Pat High Jinks long ago fell to the wrecking ball, yet the memories live on. The fictionalized story covers friends and lovers, along with near-misses and poverty-line entry-level work life in an out-of-the-way town and surrounding countryside while venturing out on one’s own after college. It had its downs and ups, including a Summer of Love that included a remote mountain lake.
Believe me, you can’t make up details like these, though you can amplify or reshape others.
It’s one of five novels I’m making available for FREE during Smashword’s annual end-of-the-year sale, which ends January First. The ebook comes in the digital platform of your choice. Do note that it includes adult content, so you may have to adjust your filters when ordering.
Think of this as part of my after-Christmas sale, except that these items are FREE! Remember, you risk nothing in acting now.
For details, go to the book at Smashwords.com.
Back to the last big Turning Point
The four years covered in my novel Daffodil Uprising brought about tremendous change in the nation and around the globe. In the light of recent events, a fresh overview of the period may provide some essential perspective on current events. For some readers, it may even be a stroll down a Memory Lane of an activists’ protest march. Maybe you remember or maybe you’ve just heard of it as ancient history. In my story, the Revolution of Peace & Love unfolds at the crossroads of the America, where it never got the attention it deserves.
This week, you can still get the ebook for FREE during Smashword’s annual end-of-the-year sale, which ends January First.
Act now, before the deal ends, and you’ll have Daffodil Uprising to read in the digital platform of your choice for as long as you like.
For details, go to the book at Smashwords.com.
Jnana's Red Barn 